Synopsis

ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963, THREE SHOTS RANG OUT IN DALLAS, PRESIDENT KENNEDY DIED, AND THE WORLD CHANGED. WHAT IF YOU COULD CHANGE IT BACK?

In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King—who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer—takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.

It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away—a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than fifty years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer. Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, his life—like Harry’s, like America’s in 1963—turning on a dime. Not much later his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there’s Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love, every turn is leading eventually, of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.

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CUSTOMER REVIEWS

11/22/63

Average rating

4.5 / 5

Great!

February 8th, 2015

Great book as you can always expect from Stephen King. I always have trouble following the time travel themes but thought he did a great job with it and I was able to follow it easily. It provokes some thought regarding whether things should be changed if they can be. Great read!

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Paige

1 review

Surprisingly interesting

January 2nd, 2015

King comes with a fresh story on this very important event. Never boring, even for non americanos. King at his best

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Rik

1 review

A history lesson

November 7th, 2014

If I wasn't so busy I probably would have read this book cover to cover. Many of the details Mr. King includes in this work regarding the late 50's and early 60's brought back many memories. Little details I had forgotten as I was only 12 years old when I heard President Kennedy had been shot over my 6th grade classroom loudspeaker. Of course time-travel stories as a genre' is a favorite of mine. To future readers, I hope you enjoy this trip as much as I.

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John

1 review

Entertaining

August 10th, 2014

Good summer read

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Jenn

1 review

11/22/63

August 5th, 2014

One of Stephen King's best.

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Christine

1 review

11/22/63

June 30th, 2014

A very good Read

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Grace

1 review

Great read

June 19th, 2014

Good change from the normal Stephen King.

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Jacob

1 review

Wow

June 11th, 2014

What an awesome, awesome book.

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Jennifer

1 review

So hard to put down once you start

April 10th, 2014

The amount of research and background work that went into this book was simply insane. The historical accuracy and tempo of the book makes this a must read for conspiracy theorists.

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Hurriken

1 review

11/22/63

April 7th, 2014

Time travel & what-ifs, always an interesting read.

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Boclunker

1 review

Amazing

March 31st, 2014

Amazing as always! King is still a master storyteller!

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Ashley

1 review

11/22/63

March 21st, 2014

Great book and awesome Stephen King at his best

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Paul

1 review

SK always writes a good book

March 1st, 2014

Loved it. Such a good read. Didn't want to put it down. Some parts became dry and draggy but they were minimal.

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Liz

1 review

11/22/63

February 12th, 2014

LOVED THIS BOOK !!!!!

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Stephen

1 review

11/22/63

January 31st, 2014

King at his usual. Awesome

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Shauna Stanyer

1 review

January 24th, 2014

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors! From my first Stephen King novel (Firestarter) in Grade 9 I have been hooked. The idea of what could happen if one little thing in our lives had happened in a different way is something I'm sure we all think about. This novel leads us through the good and the bad that are possible and was a book I was unable to put down from the moment I picket it up!

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stjonsson

1 review

January 23rd, 2014

I thought this was a very interesting novel and it made me wonder about how different the world would have been if these events didn't take place. Very engaging!

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lattard

1 review

January 23rd, 2014

King writes about a seminal moment for boomers everywhere (JFK's shooting) and ties that in with an angle loved by fans of alternate history: what if it someone managed to prevent Kennedy's assassination? The writing is, by and large, first rate. The characters are well-drawn and the time travel method interesting in the limitations King devises. Here's the "but": If only some brave editor would take a blue pencil and trim some of the verbiage that accompanies a King novel, 11/22/63 included. It would still highlight his quality writing but not require the reader to wade through 30 pages when 10 would suffice. Think of the forests we could save. If you can get past that limitation, you're in for a good read.

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laurence w

1 review

January 23rd, 2014

This is an excellent read. It takes a while to get to the JFK part, but the journey getting there is well worth it. A nice take on time travel. This would make an interesting movie.

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ron

1 review

January 23rd, 2014

I loved this book. I wasn't sure what to expect based on the subject matter and my having read a ton of other Stephen King books, but I tell ya, this book was fantastic.